Lock for laundry washing machines



Jan. 14, 1941. c. scHwARz LOCK FOR LAUNDRY WASHING MACHINES Filed Nov. 2, 1937 Patented Jan. 14, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

The present invention is,directed to an improvement in laundry machines, and more speciiically relates to rotary cylindrical washing machines.

In this type of machine, sometimes known as a wash wheel, wherein the machine is in the form of a rotary, hollow barrel of considerable size, to wash by rotation, a considerable quantity of clothes, a longitudinal portion of the cylinder is so constructed as to form a. door to permit access to the interior of the wash cylinder or drum. This predicates the provision of a hinge between one side of the door, and latch or locking means on the edges of the door, opposite to the hinged portion, whereby the door may be unlocked, then raised, and after the desired operations of removal or placement of goods, the door is closed and locked in closed position.

During the rotary washing operation, the door is submitted to a series of intermittent shocks due to intermittentI pounding of the wet and heavy material therein as it is rotated. This action, if the door locks are not well fitted causes the door to eventually work loose and permits of the bulging of the section between the hinges, as illustrated in Fig. 7.

The present invention constitutes anr improvement in the door locking means including additional auxiliary locking means in connection with the so-called loading-shelf, whereby the same is utilized in its operatively hinged connection with barrel portion of the washer, to reinforce the door lock, to 'absorb the intermittent operative shocks thereon and to prevent buckling of the adjacent staves of the barrel and door.

The foregoing and other features of advantage will be apprehended as the herein description proceeds and it will be obvious that modifications may be made in the structure herein disclosed, without departing from the spirit hereof, or the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a. fragmentary front view of the barrel;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken on line 2 2, Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary front View, sectioned in parts, of the dual lock and its adjacent barrel and door connections;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4 4, Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view, taken on line 5 5, Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view in section, similar (Cl. 22o-32) in part to Fig. 2, showing the loading shelf in gap bridging position;

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view taken at the longitudinal center of one of the door staves showing the objectionable bulging action of the 5 staves of the door section, which is obviated by the present improvement; and

Fig. 8 is a reduced, longitudinal sectional view taken at about the region ofthe locks, to illustrate the cooperative stiiening action of the 10 locks on the door and the stiffening action of the hinge extensions on the door stave ends.

As shown `in the drawing the washing drum, generally denoted by B, is rotatably supported by bearings X-X in an outer fixed cylinder, gen- 15 erally denoted by D, and which cylinder is provided with a permanent access opening O, Figs. 1 and 2, so that the drum ,BV may be exposed to manual manipulation therethrough.

The cylinder D may be permanently supported on a support not shown, and the drum B rotated by any suitable and customary drive means not shown, but well understood in the art.

p The drum B is constructed preferably of wooden staves S, spaced slightly apart, at their edges, --25 so as to allow the wash water to enter from the cylinder D, which contains water therein, the level of which is below the lower edge of the access opening O. The ,staves are suitably and xedly mounted at their ends to opposing circular heads H-H, Figs. 1, 3 and 8 in the customary manner.

'I'he drum B is provided with an opening therein, which is closed by a, door C, which is pivotally hinged at Y, Figs. 1 and 2, so that it may be lifted upwardly as shown dotted in Fig. 2, to permit of the inserting, or removing of laundry therein or therefrom.

. The door section is constructed of spaced staves S, similar to those of the drums B, and their opposite ends are suitably anlxed to opposed curved stave end reinforcing extensions M and M of the coacting hinge members N-N between and in which the pivots Y-Y are mounted. The hinges M-N are preferably made of metal.

As seen in Fig. 2, the upper hinge members N are preferably mounted upon a thickened sill piece stave T', which frames and reinforces the upper edge of the opening O'. The lower edge of opening O, is also framedand reinforced by a thickened sill piece stave T. Thus, sill pieces T and T reinforce the upper and lower` edges of the opening in drum B against the forces reacting upon the door C, when it is locked in the drum B.

The stave S' is provided withopenings such Fig. 5, into the casing face I.

The curved door C, as will be seen in Figs. 1, 5 and 8, fits in between the heads H-H, when closed and the curved contour thereof is therefore in cylindrical contour with the drum B, Fig. 2.

The exposed, outer edge of upper sill T', Fig. 2 is rabbeted as at f, along its length, with one step, and the exposed outer edge of lower sill T is rabbeted at o and h, Figs. 2 and 4, forming two steps along the length of the outer .edge thereof.

'Ihe rabbet f acts as a jamb for the upper edge of door C when closed. 'I'he rabbets g and h are provided to permit of the fitting therein of a stepped and pivoted loading shelf E-e, Fig. 4, which is, normally, when the door C is closed, set upright in the seat formed by the rabbet a, and forms a support or backing E along the entire length of the lower back face of door C, thereby acting as a rigidifying stop E for the door, the stave S' of which may be provided with a rabbet i, Fig. 4, in which E is seated.

The loading shelf E-e, as seen in Fig. `4, is shaped, in cross section, like a right angle, one shorter leg e of which is provided with a bored butt I9, which is pivotally supported upon a pintle 23, which in turn, is firmly held in and between the spaced and bored butt extension 2li-20 of the hinge support bracket 2|. 'I'he hinge support bracket 2| is, in turn firmly at tached by screws 22 to the outer face of sill stave T, as shown in Fig. 3.

It is to be understood that there are two of the hinged connections as above described, one at, or adjacenteach of the ends of the door C, as shown in Figs'. 5 and 8.

The elongate loading shelf, as above described, is thus pivoted, to be located as an interiorly disposed back brace or jamb for the door C when it is closed, and when it is swung down as in Fig. 6, after the door is opened, to form a bridge over the gap between the outer surface of the drum B and the inner surface of the shell D.

thereby to cover said gap and thus prevent laundry from falling into said gap during removal or replacement of a load.

The rabbeted step h receives therein the .angled flange Ic of the bracket 2|, Fig. 4, to support the bracket'in operative position.

The back plate E of the loading shelf is provided with two outstanding lugs P, on its front face as viewed in Fig. 8, and as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. These lugs are each located neary the opposed ends of the loading shelf, but spaced therefrom. Each lug is provided with an aperture I6, preferably square in cross section, near their outer ends, best seen in Fig. 4, into and out of which a square sectioned auxiliary bolt L' is movably engaged and disengaged. The bolt L' is reciprocally carried in a latch housing, generally denoted by l, Figs. 3, 4 and 5, which is mounted on the lower door stave S', and moves therewith, said stave being recessed as at 1, Fig. 5, to seat the housing, which is held therein by screws 1, Fig. 3, set in the surrounding anges thereof and the stave S'.

The housing includes a hollow casing 2, shown partially in section, in Fig. 3, and in other sections, Figs. 4 and 5. The bolt L', Figs. 3 and 5, when engaged with the bore of lug P, is slidably held in the offset arm I4 by a boss V at the oiset end thereof. on the bolt L'.. at the rear of the as R, through which the lugs'P project, as in' boss V is located a nxed collar I1, against which one end of a coiled spring Il rests, the coiled spring surrounding the bolt L', with its opposite end resting in a recessed spring seat I, Fig. 3.

The onset arm Il is" integral with a slide bar Il, from which it is offset, and which is mounted for reciprocation in a bearing I in the rear wall of a spring enclosing chamber 5, Fig. 3. 'I'he outer end of slide bar Il is exposed beyond the casing and is threaded` to receive thereon the threaded boss II of a manually manipulable handle F, and a lock nut I2 locks said handle in the proper operative plane and position on the slide bar i3.

A coiled spring I5 is mounted on slide bar I3, the ends of said spring contacting between the nut I2 and the rear wall bearing i.

As thus'described both springs I8 and I5 tend at all times to stress the slide bar I3 and the bolt L', towards the left, as viewed in Figs. 3 and 5, and thus maintain the door C in locked position on stave S'.

The main lock, generally denoted by L, Fig. 3, comprises a dat bolt 8, which is integral with the handle F, and which is reciprocally mounted in a bearing boss m which is an integral part ofv the elongate hinge section M, near the bottom end thereof, Fig. 3. The outer end of the bolt is champfered, at its striker end as at 9, so that when the door C is closed with a slam, the bolt 8 automatically operates to throw back and to engage itself and the slide bolt L' into their respective coacting locking means.

The outer end of the bolt 3 extends beyond its guide bearing m, which latter coacts with bearing 6 to aline slide'bar I3- and its appurtenant coacting parts, and the extending end 9, Figs. 3 and 5 engages with .a mortise III, which is located in the adjacent face of the cylinder head H, Fig. 5, so that when the bolt 8 is in operative position, it engages its end 9 into said head mortise II) and thereby each lock locks the cover C to the heads H-H, at its opposite sides firmly, with no tendency to become loosened accidentally.

From the foregoing description it will be seen, that by the provision of dual side cover locks with the coacting lugs on the pivoted loader shelf, and the coaction of the hinge structures, a firmly locked and easily operated door closure is provided, eliminating the tendency to stave bulge as illustrated in Fig. 7, where the stave S', or staves S of the cover C are distorted by the impact of the laundry W thereagainst.

In 'operating the machine to load or unload the wash drum B, after cessation of the movement of drum B, the cylinder is manually ro- Itated until the door C is registered with the openengage the opposite ends of the staves S and S' by means of bolts or screws s.

From the foregoing it will be noted that the loading shelf E and door C of the drum B are so arranged that the door locks the shelf within the Both inner face of the door, thus keeping the outer surface of the drum B substantially flush, and interlocking the shelf and door when the drum is closed for rotation. f

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: J

1. In combustion, a horizontal drum having a longitudinal loading opening extending from head to head of the drum; a loading shelf hinged at the -lower edge of the opening to cover the lower marginof the opening; a door hinged at its upper edge 4to the drum covering said opening and disposed against the front fact of the shelf and provided with lower openings and guide bearings near the heads; the shelf being provided with lugs projecting through said lower openings respectively and each provided at its end with an aperture; each head having a mortise with which said bearings may register; housings secured to thev door each receiving one of said apertured ends and provided with a bolt bar guide; a main bolt slidable in' said bearing and guide and spring pressed into said mortise and provided with a lateral off-set having a boss; an auxiliary bolt slidable in said boss; a spring for pressing the bolt into the aperture; and means on the auxiliary bolt and engageable by the boss for -withdrawing the auxiliary bolt from the lug whenever the main bolt is withdrawn.

2. In combination, a horizontal drum having a loading opening extending from head to head; a loading shelf member of L-shaped cross-section adapted to rest in the lower edge of the opening with its upper part extending upward to cover then lower margin of the opening and its base extended outwardly and hinged to the outer face of the drum; and a door hinged at the upper part to the drum and covering said open- 40 ing and disposed against the shelf base and the front face of the shelf when closed.

3. In combination, a horizontal elongated drum waiving a iongitudinn loading opening therein shaped cross section adaptedto rest in the lower rabbet with its base extended outward and its upper part extending upward to cover the lowerv margin, of the opening; said base being provided, remote from the heads with outwardly downwardly extended hinge members; means hinging said members to the outer face of the vlower stave; a door hinged to said upper sill and adapted when closed 'to be disposed against the upper shoulder, the shelf base, and against the front face of the shelf; and means for locking said shelf, door and lheads together.

4. In a washing machine comprising a rotary drum, having an access opening therein, and having heads at opposite ends thereof, the combination therewith of a hinged door for closing said opening, an upper and a lower sill piece stave framing the upper and lower edges of said opening, said door being hinged from said upper sill piece, an elongate loading shelf pivotally mounted upon the lower sill piece and having outtherethrough when the door is closed and bolts carried by the door and engaged in the apertures of the lugs.

CARL SCHWARZ. 

